Girl Meets Hogwarts
by Vilolisun
Summary: Despite Maya Hart being a Pureblood witch, she can't remember her own world, what will happen when she befriends the one and only Draco Malfoy? What will happen to the innocence that she once held so close? TRIGGER WARNING IN LATER CHAPTER touches on self harm/suicide
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

Mariellea Hart was born and raised in Wiltshire England in a large black manor that had an elegant "H" soldered onto the Gate. Located next to the Hart Manor was the one and only Malfoy Manor the only difference was instead of an "H" on the gate there was an "M". both families only had one child, for the Hart's it was Mariella a beautiful daughter with snow white hair that fell mid shoulder and piercing silver eyes, for the Malfoy's it was a handsome son named Draco with snow white hair and soft blue eyes that flashed grey when he became upset.

Growing up Mariella had been extremely close to the Malfoy's, her parents were often away on business and Narcissa and Lucius took her in to care for her while her parents were away. Draco and Mariella were inseparable, everything they did they had to do it together, they were each other's only friends due to both of their parents high status within the Ministry and the fact they were both two of the richest Pureblood families around. Lucius worked under Mariella's father Qylin as he was the Minister of Magic which made him superior to Lucius, in the eyes of the Malfoy's. They would do anything to keep Qylin and his wife Katriayna happy and on their good side, due to the war that had occurred 5 years prior when Lord Voldemort attacked and killed the Potters leaving Harry untouched besides a lighting bolt scar on his forehead. Harry was now the same age as Draco and Mariella which would be 6.

The day before Mariella's 7th birthday which June 1st her mother told her the news that they would be moving to the States immediately and that her father would have to stay in Wiltshire. Mariella was distraught and didn't want to leave Narcissa and Draco for anything but, unfortunately she had no choice. The next day Katriayna and Mariella took the Floo System to their new apartment in New York City. During this time Katriayna changed her name to Katie and Mariella's to Maya, they kept their last name but everything else changed. Maya was one of the strongest witches of her time and Qylin and Katie knew it would be dangerous for Maya to stay in england much longer without the protection of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Once they arrived in New York Katie used the Obliviate charm on Maya so she would forget that her life in Europe ever existed, she now only had memories of living in New York her whole live with her single mother Katie, she forgot all about her father and the Malfoy's.

The day Maya turned 7 she ran away from home and climbed up the fire escape of a girl's apartment because she heard singing. She then climbed through the window and became best friends with the girl inside, who told her that her name was Riley and that they would be best friends for the rest of their lives. Which was great but Maya constantly felt like she was missing something she could just never figure out what it was. Riley was always fantastic to Maya and her parents Corey and Topanga shortly became a second family to Maya. They took care of her the same way Narcissa did while Katie was working, Corey was even Maya's teacher at school so she had a very fun time living in New York until someone asked her about her family. Because of the Glamour charm that was cast on Maya before she moved it hid her silver eyes and her calming british accent, it even changed her hair from a snowy white to a dirty blonde. The reason Maya would get upset if someone asked about her family is because she honestly couldn't remember any of her childhood, she said the things her mom always told her to say in a situation like this.

Three years passed and Maya and Riley were ireseperatable they did absolutely everything together, until the day before Maya's 11th birthday. Maya was sitting at home when all of a sudden a gorgeous black owl flew into her window carrying a note around its foot, she opened the note and saw that it was addressed to _Mariella Hart_ which Maya thought was strange because that wasn't her first name but it definitely was her last. When she opened the parchment she read,

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Ms. Hart,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at_ _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ _. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and begins on_ _1 September_ _. We await your owl by no later than_ _31 July_ _._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

Maya thought this was some kind of a joke and ran to her mom when she got home from working at the diner and said "Mom an owl dropped off a letter today, it was addressed to Mariella Hart and i'm not sure if that's me or not. It said I have been accepted to a school called Hogwarts? Is this true? Whats going on?" Katie then replied "Sweetheart you're old enough to know now. When you were born we lived in Wiltshire England in the Hart Manor, we come from a long line of witches and wizards. Your father stayed behind when we moved here because it wasn't safe for you at the time, you were the most powerful witch of the country. I had to place a glamour charm on you so you could live a normal life. Your full name is Mariella Gwendolyn Hart." Maya was utterly confused by what just happened and she thought for a moment before replying, "You said you put a glamour charm on me, what does that do? Is there also a way to get my memory back from when we lived in Wiltshire?" Katie then responded "Yes love I can get your memory back and the glamour charm changed your appearance, you naturally have snow white hair and porcelain skin with gorgeous silver eyes, this charm also hid your accent from the rest of the world." "now Mariella I need you to not speak of this to anyone and I need you to go tell Riley that we are moving to London and that we are leaving within the next two days."

Mariella wasn't sure how to tell Riley she was leaving but she had to start before the charm gets lifted, right away she left to go find Riley. "Hey Riles can we talk for a minute?" maya asked with a sad look on her face, "Oh Peaches of course we can! Whats wrong!? I've never seen you this sad before." Riley asked worried. "Well Riles I don't know how to start this but…" she paused for a moment. "In two days I'm moving to London and I won't be able to see you again. I'm sorry Riles but I have to go."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

The glamour charm had been lifted from Maya and she saw that she did in fact have snow white hair and piercing silver eyes. She also regained her memory and out of nowhere asked her mom about Draco Malfoy, a name her mom hadn't thought of in years. "Mom do you think he's going to remember me?" Maya asked with a worried tone, "My dearest Mariella, Draco hasn't forgotten you. I owl his mother frequently and he is very excited you are coming home, the day after we arrive we are going over to their Manor to have tea so you two can catch up before Narcissa and I take the two of your shopping for your school supplies in Diagon Alley." Katie replied in a very motherly tone.

The next day arrived and Maya decided that once she went to Hogwarts she would keep the nickname she had been given when she was 7 and her mom was okay with it as long as she could call her Mariella. That morning Maya rushed to get ready because she was excited to see Draco again, once she was ready she told her mom to meet her at the Malfoy Manor and Katriayna started to say that was fine but before she could finish her sentence Maya was out the door. She ran up to the door of the Malfoys house and knocked on the door, and a little lump of a house elf named Twinkle answered and ushered Maya inside. Twinkle then disapparated to let the Malfoys know a guest had arrived. Not long after Draco ran down the stairs nearly falling a couple of times which caused Maya to laugh before she ran up to him and hugged him for what seemed like forever. She would have kept hugging him but Narcissa walked up to her and said hello which resulted in another giant hug.

After the four of them had tea they were off to Diagon Alley and instead of using the Floo System they took a Ministry car thanks to Qylin. Once they reached their desired location Draco and Mariella ran off to get their wands, the wand that chose Draco was a 10" Hawthorn wood with a Unicorn hair core. Mariellas was a 12 ¾" Cypress wood with a Dragon Heartstring core. Which surprised Mr Ollivander due to the nobility behind her wand. "Miss Heart this wand is very special and symbolises you will do great in Gryffindor just like your parents and grandparents, this doesn't surprsise me considering you have done so much so far that consists of you being brave." Mr. Ollivander said without hesitation.

With that Draco turned to Mariella and asked "Do you really think you'll be in Gryffindor?" "Honestly Dray i'm not sure, I don't seem like I really resemble my parents all that much." Mariella answered truthfully. Within the next few days Draco and Mariella were taken to Kings Cross Station where they would be taking the train to Hogwarts, both kids were excited but didn't want to show it in front of so many people. After saying goodbye to their parents they went and found an empty compartment and sat down.

"Hey Dray what house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Mariella asked quietly. "Probably Slytherin, if i'm not in that house father would disown me." Draco replied in an easy tone. Draco only let Mariella call him Dray, if anyone else tried he would push them away and be cruel towards them, but Mariella was the same way with her own name, to everyone but her own family and Draco's she was known as Maya.

Once they arrived at the Hogsmeade station the first years were instructed to follow a half giant named Hagrid, they would be taking the boats to the castle while the 2nd-7th years took the carriages. Mariella and Draco boarded onto a boat and it slowly took off towards the castle. Once they got off the boat they were instructed to wait for Professor McGonagall, the Deputy HeadMistress who also happened to be the head of Gryffindor house and the Transfiguration professor. Once she arrived she gave the first years a speech, " _Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common-room. The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding wizards and witches. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours. The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return for you when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."_

All of the first years were waiting quietly when Draco noticed Harry Potter, he then began to say "Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

"Yes," said Harry. He was looking at the beautiful girl standing next to Draco

"Oh, this is Mariella" said the pale boy slyly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. Red hair and a hand me down robe, My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

He turned back to Harry. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." Draco retorted. Harry was still looking at the girl standing next to Draco and he replied with "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself thanks." and looked passed Malfoy. Mariella then nudged Draco because professor McGonagall came back and said the sorting was to begin.

The first couple of students went to Hufflepuff House, Ravenclaw house and Gryffindor house. So far no students were selected into Slytherin. Mariella was lost in her thoughts until she heard the Professor call out "Hart, Mariella" as soon as her name was called she remembered what Draco said on the train "If i'm not in Slytherin my father will disown me." this made her extremely determined to be put in Slytherin because she didn't want to be without her best and only friend and she knew he felt the same way. She was just scared because all of her family have been in Gryffindor she didn't know how they would react if she were to be put in the rival house. Mariella then walked up to the stool and sat down and the hat was placed on her head. " _Ah Miss Hart, your family have been Gryffindor since the beginning of this school. You would do well there, you certainly are brave, you are loyal yes I think you would do well in Gryffindor."_ She then glanced at Draco and he appeared to be upset by what the hat was saying so she thought to herself "NO, I will not be in Gryffindor. I need to be in Slytherin. I need to be with Dray, I will do anything to be with him." the hat took this into consideration before saying very quietly so only she would hear " _You're going to be a very powerful witch indeed, there is no doubt about that. You will go very far. Stay close to those you trust."_ right after the hat shouted " _SLYTHERIN"_. Mariella then went over to the Slytherin table and sat down. Harry looked at her stunned by the fact she wanted to be in the house everyone including him was afraid of.

The sorting continued and McGonagall called out " _Malfoy, Draco"_ the hat barely touched his blonde head before yelling out " _SLYTHERIN"_ but before the hat let Draco leave it whispered to him " _stay close to Miss Hart, she will lead you to greatness."_ Draco was slightly confused by this considering he had known Mariella his entire life and she was the nicest person he knew. He began wondering to himself "how is she going to lead me to greatness?"

Then it was Potter's turn with the hat. It said to him " _Or perhaps in slytherin you'll make your real friends, those cunning folk who use any means to get their end."_ Harry then said "Not slytherin, not slytherin" and the hat perked up and yelled " _Not Slytherin eh? Then you better be…..GRYFFINDOR."_ the Gryffindor table was cheering incredibly loud and Mariella could see two red headed twins chanting "We've got Potter, we've got Potter!"

When sat down next to Mariella he told her he wanted to talk to her later about something the hat said. She obviously didn't feel the need to argue because she too was confused with the hat. After the feast the Prefects escorted the first years to their common rooms and told them the girls dorms were on the right and boys on the left. "Hey Dray can you stay down here for a little bit I really want to talk to you." Mariella said in a tone she hardly ever used. Fear. "Sure" her best friend replied. "When The hat was on top of my head it told me I would have done really well in Gryffindor because of my parents and grandparents and great grandparents but when I told it I had to be in Slytherin it paused and told me _You're going to be a very powerful witch indeed, there is no doubt about that. You will go very far. Stay close to those you trust._ What do you think that means?" Mariella asked in a way that was barely audible. "Funnily enough I was going to ask you the same thing, before it let me leave it whispered _Stay close to Miss Hart she will lead you to greatness._ You should write your parents and ask? Im just happy youre here with me Mari." Mariella was shocked to hear Draco call her Mari, he only ever did that when he was nervous. "I think ill write them tonight thanks Dray im happy to be here with you too. Goodnight" Mariella said before parting ways with the blonde.

Before she went to bed she pulled out a quill, ink and parchment and began writing to her parents.

" _Dear Mother and Father,_

 _I have been sorted into Slytherin house with Draco and the sorting hat told me that I was going to become a very powerful witch and that I will go very far, and that I should stay close to those I trust. Is there something I should know? I'm also sorry for not being in Gryffindor, I couldn't let Draco be alone. The hat also told him that I would lead him to greatness. Im just very curious about all of this. Goodnight I will talk to you soon._

 _Love,_

 _Your dearest Mariella."_

She then tied the note to her owl Jade's foot and sent her off. She then proceeded to fall asleep. The next morning she awoke to her room empty and that she didn't have any roommates she didnt notice last night because she was exhausted but she found it strange. She made a mental note to ask a prefect about it later in the day. As soon as she walked down the stairs to the common room she spotted Draco and walked over to him. The pair then proceeded to walk to the Great Hall, halfway during breakfast the post arrived and a letter flew into Mariella's hand along with a letter to Draco. Draco opened his letter and was relieved that it wasnt a howler. It simply said

" _Dearest Draco,_

 _Your Father and I are extremely proud of you for being sorted into Slytherin, say hello to Mariella for us. We miss you both._

 _Best wishes,_

 _Mother"_

The letter Mariella recieved was different. It was simple yet complicated.

" _My dear Mariella,_

 _We wanted to tell you before you went to Hogwarts but it wasnt safe, but you must know the truth. This evening please take Draco with you to talk to HeadMaster Dumbledore. He will explain the rest. Meet at his office at 11pm the password is Sugar Quills._

 _P.S. Im proud of you for being put in Slytherin you dont need to follow in your father or my foot steps. Create your own way._

 _Love,_

 _Mother"_

Mariella showed Dray the letter and then they were off to class, first they had Potions with Professor Snape who was the head of their house, he was quite fond of the two and treated them the nicest out of all the students. They then had Herbology with professor Sprout and even though they both hated the subject, Mariella exceled in it. Later in the day they had transfiguration with the Gryffindors and Harry was staring at Mariella wondering about her and why she was in slytherin. He turned and then started talkig to Ron and Hermione and said "I dont know what she sees in that Malfoy, hes pure evil and she doesnt seem like she can hurt a fly." Ron agreed with him but Hermione was hesitent she didnt know what to believe or not to believe about the pair.

As their afternoon lessons came to an end and they already had lunch they had free time until dinner, so Mariella decided to wonder around the castle. She ened up exploring for hours and missed dinner which caused Draco to worry but he was realived that she was back in the common room shortly before they had to meet with Dumbledore. It was 10 to 11 and Draco and Mariella were standing by a gargoyle and she recited the password and a beautiful staircase appeared. They walked up it and were told to enter before even knocking on the door.

"Ah yes Mr. Malfoy and Miss. Hart ive been expecting you, please take a seat." Dumbledore instructed and Draco and Mariella did as they were told. "Sir what must you explain to us that my parents werent able to?" Mariella asked impatiently. Draco nodded in agreement. "Well Maya it isnt safe to send owls with information like this. You see when you left Wiltshire to live in New York it was for your own safety. You are the most powerful witch we have seen since He Who Must Not Be Named. You left the country because people wanted you for your powers even though you were only 7 years old." Dumbledore explained in a simple yet meaningful way that made Draco speak. "But sir why couldn't her parents tell her? Why did the hat tell me she would lead me to greatness?" taking in all this information was a lot of work but it was well needed. Dumbledore proceeded to explain the situation, "when you were 1 my dear Maya, Lord Voldemort came to try to collect you but couldnt because of the spells around your Manor and the Malfoy Manor. So instead he went after Harry potter. With you both out of the way he would be able to rule again but something about you stumped him. He couldnt bring himself to hurt you. You are safe here but you must decide what to use your powers for. Good, or evil."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Over the next couple of months more and more strange things started happening around the castle. Mariella was the top of her class, she was even better than Hermione Granger which she was shocked by. For every class the teachers always paired Draco and Maya together which the two never really thought about because they were still best friends and did pretty much everything together. Then one day in February Mariella woke up late and was heading down to the kitchens to grab breakfast, she ran into none other than Harry Potter. "Hey your name is Maya isn't it? I've seen you around. I wanted to ask you something if it's alright with you?" Harry asked nervously and obviously unaware of how nice Maya is. "Sure Harry what's your question?"

"Well I was wondering how you hang out with Malfoy so often? Everyone including myself were surprised you weren't sorted into Gryffindor, your family is kind of famous." Harry said in a hushed voice. "Well I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor because I asked not to be. I wanted to create my own path and not follow in my families footsteps and I knew Draco would be sorted into Slytherin so I asked the hat if I could be with him, the hat took my question into consideration like it did with you and put me in the house that I belong in. As for how I hang around Draco, he and I have been best friends since we were born, i'm only 4 days older than him and he is my neighbor so we have grown close over our short lives, now if that's all i'd like to grab some breakfast before Potions." Mariella said in a sweet voice.

After Harry and Maya's encounter he ran back to Ron and Mione and told them what he had found out. "Mione you don't understand there has to be more to her story. No one can hang out with Malfoy that much and not be evil! You don't…" At that moment Harry was cut off "Come on Harry, Maya doesn't seem like she's an evil person maybe you're just not giving malfoy a fair chance." Hermione said as Harry was mid sentence. "Even Ron agrees with me, let's give her a chance she is even ahead of me in classes and that's hard to do." Ron was just sitting in the common room while his two friends were arguing.

During Potions that day Draco could tell something was off with Mariella, he just didn't know what it was but he knew that her being in Potions wasn't a good idea. He kindly walked up to Professor Snape and asked if he and Maya could be excused for the day because she wasn't feeling well and he wanted to take her up to the Hospital Wing to get evaluated. Snape happily excused them from the class and even gave 5 points to Slytherin for looking out for another student. Before Draco was able to tell Mariella that they were excused she ran out of the class room and he ran after her. "Mari wait up! Mari please stop running!" Draco yelled out of breath. He was surprised with how fast the girl could run. "Dray something doesn't feel right. Something bad is going to happen, I don't know what but this isn't good I need to put a stop to it!" Mariella practically yelled across the corridor.

Draco finally got her to the hospital wing and was surprised to be greeted by Dumbledore. "Good morning Mr. Malfoy I see that you brought our dear Maya to the hospital wing, do you mind telling me what it is that made you bring her here?" Dumbledore asked in his calm yet serious voice. "Sir she hasn't been sleeping, and she just got done yelling at me that something bad was going to happen if she didn't put a stop to it but she doesn't know what bad thing it is and if she does she wont tell me and i'm worried about her sir she hasn't been herself for months." Draco could barely get the words out of his mouth without tearing up, he can't even imagine what his life would be like without Mari in it.

"You did the right thing by taking her here, she is in good hands there's no need to worry but you do need to go back to your lessons, you can come visit her tonight after dinner if you'd like." said Dumbledore. "Thank you Sir." is all Draco could manage.

Over the next couple of months Mariella still acted strange and Draco was worried that she wouldn't ever go back to being herself. The last day of school was tomorrow and Draco was happy that Mari lived next door so he could keep an eye on her. On the train ride home they sat in silence until Mariella spoke "Hey Dray, I never got the chance to thank you for always being there for me. It means a lot, I don't know what I would do without you." that was Mariellas way of telling Dray she loved him and he knew this and simply said "I love you too Mari"

The rest of the train ride they sat in silence but neither of them minded. As soon as they got off the train Mariella knew something was wrong. Her parents weren't there to pick her up from the platform. Narcissa was there to pick up both of the blondes and take them home. "Hey Cissa, where are my mom and dad?" Mariella asked very quietly once they got into the car for the 2 hour long journey back to the manor. "My sweet girl, there was an accident. I will tell you more when we get back to the Manor, you will be staying with us for the rest of the summer and during the holiday breaks." Narcissa said in a very loving motherly voice. Narcissa truly hated being called Cissa by anyone other than Mariella, the girl had a charming way about her that Narcissa and Lucius were drawn to and they truly cared for her as if she was their own.

30 minutes later a thought came to Draco's mind and he had a flashback to February when Mari said that she felt something bad was going to happen if she wasn't there to stop it, could this be it? He waited until they stepped inside his house before he spoke. "Mother are Qylin and Katriayna okay?" "Well my dear I need you both to sit down I have some news I need to tell you, but first Twinkle" A little pop came from behind Narcissa. "Yes Miss Malfoy what would you need help with?" Twinkle asked carefully. "I need you to bring the trunks up to the children's rooms and start preparing dinner." Narcissa replied. "Yes Miss Malfoy"

"Now Mariella there was an accident a couple of months ago and it ended up with both of your parents being transported to St. Mungos, unfortunately your mother wasn't able to pull through. I'm so sorry my dear." Narcissa said through teary eyes. "What about my father?" Mariella asked sternly. "As of right now he is stable but they don't believe it will last for long, we are going over to say our goodbyes tomorrow afternoon." Draco just sat there looking at his best friend, he had never seen her cry before and she knew this and she promised herself that today wouldn't be that day. Mariella just sat there staring blankly at the wall then slowly walked up the stairs and sat down on the King size bed that was placed in her room at the Manor. While Mariella was upstairs, Draco and Narcissa were still downstairs and he informed his mother of what happened in February. He then asked what caused the accident, and at first Narcissa didn't respond but eventually looked at him and said "Voldemort." it then all made perfect sense.

The next day Mariella still wasn't talking to anyone but she went to go say goodbye to her father whom after she visited they took off the magical version of life support. Nobody knew the effect this truly had on Maya as she stayed really quiet and only talked when directly spoken to. She started isolating herself and slowly took to wearing only long sleeves which nobody thought of as strange because the average temperature for Wiltshire was 21 degrees celsius and she also burned easily so she stayed indoors mostly. Deep down this was tearing her apart, she wasn't sleeping she wasn't eating and she slowly contemplated self harm. Over the rest of summer Draco tried his hardest to keep an eye on his best friend but she was determined to stay isolated. The first time he saw her all summer was the day before they left to return to school. He immediately noticed that her eyes had large blueish purple circles under them and that she looked thinner than she normally did.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Draco sat opposite of Mariella on the train and attempted to hex anybody that came near the compartment. He was worried sick about his friend but he knew she wouldn't talk to him about it. They sat in silence the entire train ride and once settled into the Great Hall Draco had to physically tell Maya to eat something as she was just playing with the food on her plate. She did as she was told but he could tell she really didn't want to put any food into her mouth. Once the sorting and feast was over he took her hand and walked back to the Slytherin Common Room and said the password "Snakes" to the portrait to gain access. He then sat down on the couch with Mariella next to him and she proceeded to lay her head in his lap and fall asleep. Draco knew this was the only way for her to stay asleep so he didn't move all night. He even fell asleep with his hand across her frail waist.

The next morning Maya woke up to Draco stroking her long blonde hair and she looked in his eyes and he noticed that they were more of a gray than silver and it was a color he had never seen her eyes change before. He didn't think much of it and suggested that she get dressed so they could go to breakfast. Maya agreed to getting changed but said she would catch up with him in Potions. This threw him off a little but there was no use in arguing with this one. Once Mariella was safely in her room she locked the door and put a silencing charm up so nobody could hear her cry. She ran to her trunk and took out a small black wooden box and pulled out a thin razor blade and dragged it over her left wrist while tears were falling from her face. She then put a healing charm on it to stop the bleeding but let it fade the muggle way, she was fascinated by the crisp red blood than ran down her arm but soon realized she was going to be late for Potions so she put the blade back into the box and put it back in her trunk, put on her uniform tied her blonde hair into a high ponytail and walked out the door as if nothing happened.

Meanwhile in Potions Draco was wondering where Maya was because she was running late and he knew she was never one to be late for a class. No less than a minute later she walked into the classroom and took a seat next to Draco who looked at her in a sad loving way. Snape then started the lesson and they were instructed to make a simple sleeping draught, Draco and Mariella had no problem doing this and were first to finish earning them 20 points each to Slytherin. Harry then looked up from his failed potion to see the lost look upon Maya's face and then turned to Hermione to ask her about it. "Hey Mione does Maya seem out of it to you?" Hermione looked at Harry then looked at Maya and whispered "She looks as if she has been crying."

The immediate response from Harry was "It was Malfoy. He did something to upset her. I know it." After this comment Mione looked at him and said "Harry he's her best friend he wouldn't hurt her." Harry wasn't so sure. From that day forward he vowed to follow the two of them to find out what was going on. Soon it was time for lunch and Draco practically had to drag Maya into the Great Hall. he then went to put small amounts of food on her plate and wouldn't let her leave until she ate it. Maya was upset by this but she knew that the last thing she wanted to do was make Draco worry about her so she acted as if she was happy and that everything went back to normal.

What nobody knew is that the more Maya acted the more scarred and thin she got. She remembered how her mother once put a glamour charm on her to change her appearance and she then put one on herself so nobody could tell how bad things were getting. A couple of months went by when suddenly one day at breakfast an owl came swooping into the Hall and landed right in front of Maya, it was a letter from Narcissa.

" _My dearest Mariella,_

 _I know that things have been hard for you these past couple of months which is why I wanted to let you know that it's okay if you and Draco wanted to stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas Break. I will be sending you both gifts to the common room if that is what you choose. I love you both very much._

 _Best Wishes,_

 _Narcissa."_

Maya handed the note to Dray and they both agreed that they would stay at Hogwarts over break. Quickly Maya wrote a note back to Narcissa and strapped it to the little black owl's leg and it flew off. Break was going to be here sooner than they thought. Classes went on as normal and Maya pretended to be happy around Draco so he didn't have to worry and that lead Harry to believe that everything was going back to normal so he stopped following them around and went back to his everyday life with Ron and Hermione. On the other hand Draco knew something was wrong but he needed a plan if he were going to figure it out. He hated to see his best friend upset because she deserved the world, and right now the world wasn't being good to her.

Maya started to catch onto his plan because they were the only two Slytherins staying behind for break. He was acting strange around her in a sneaky way. She didn't think too much of it at first but then she noticed how she had to start being careful about the way she was sneaking around. It was around lunchtime the next day when Draco decided to start his plan, he had to catch Maya off guard but he wasn't sure how he was going to do that because she knew everything he did. It was hard for him not to give away the signs. He then got the brilliant idea to talk to The Bloody Baron the Slytherin House ghost. On his way back from lunch, he went to go find the ghost. To his luck he didn't have to walk far he turned the corner out of the great hall and ran straight into him. He then very quietly started talking, "Excuse me, Bloody Baron can I ask you a favor in private?" To Draco's amazement the ghost agreed. "My boy what can I do for you? You seem worried." The ghost asked.

"I am. My best friend Mariella hasn't been feeling well over the last couple of months but I know she won't let me talk to her about it. I'm afraid she might do something to hurt herself. Since you're a ghost and can go through the protective charms she puts up can you spy on her for a little while and let me know what's going on? I can't lose her." Draco said through teary eyes. Without hesitation the Baron replied by saying "Yes I will help you, but you need to be the one to catch her. She will only listen to you if you find out."

With that Draco ran back to the common room but not before he ran into the one and only Harry Potter. "Get the hell out of my bloody way Potter" Draco sneered. "Watch it Malfoy" Potter replied. Before both of the boys took out their wands ready to hex each other into the next millennium Snape came out of his office and simply stated "30 points from Gryffindor and detention tonight at 8pm, head back to your common room at once. You're needed there." Draco then proceeded to run from the hallway and Snape turned back to Harry and said in a very low tone "Stay out of my corridors and leave Mr. Malfoy and Miss. Hart alone unless you want detention until your 7th year." "Yes sir" is all Harry could manage.

When Draco returned to the common room he heard a faint crying sound and ran towards Mariella's dorm room. He tried opening the door but it was locked so he took out his wand and calmly said "Alohomora" and the door flung open and he was completely shocked to see what his sweet Mariella was doing.

Mariella was sitting on the floor with her arms pouring crimson red blood down her porcelain skin. She was feeling extremely lightheaded and couldn't hold her head up for more than a couple of seconds without almost passing out. She also didn't put the glamour charm on so Draco saw how thin she was getting. At the beginning of the term she weighed 120 lbs and now she roughly was at 95 lbs. All of this was so much for Draco to take in, he didn't know what to do so he ran to her. He grabbed onto her and took her wrists in his hands and with his wand he quickly muttered "Vulnera Sanentur" and the cuts started to disappear. He held onto his crying friend and was trying to calm her down, after she stopped crying he put both of his hands on her face and made her look at him. "Mari whats wrong? Please talk to me."

"You wouldnt understand. No one understands. I just want to die, Draco I can't do this anymore I don't want to this anymore please just go. Leave me alone." She whispered. But that wasn't a good enough answer for Draco. Against her will seeing as she weighed so little Draco picked her up and carried her to the hospital wing. He sat her down on a bed while yelling for Madam Pomfrey to come to them quickly. "Mr Malfoy what seems to be the matter?" the mediwitch asked and he coldly looked at her and said "Can't you tell by bloody looking at her?!" "Now now Mr Malfoy I know you're upset but please tell me what happened." the witch calmly asked. Draco told her everything he knew and he refused to leave Maya's side. Madam Pomfrey was about to kick Draco out of the hospital wing but before she could do so, Dumbledore showed up with a frantic Narcissa.

"Now Madam Pomfrey Draco has permission to stay with Miss Hart as long as he likes, but in the morning she will be moved to the Malfoy Manor to be cared for by Narcissa, as she became her legal guardian over the summer holiday. Draco my boy i'm afraid you will have to stay at Hogwarts while Maya is away." Dumbledore kindly explained. "No. I need to stay with her. I need to protect her. She's all I have Dumbledore please I can't do this without her." Draco begged the much older wizard. Narcissa then cut in and calmed her child down, "Sweetheart she will be safer at home than she will be here, I will talk to Professor Dumbledore to see if you can stay home with us, Mariella would appreciate you being there."

"Dumbledore Sir, I truly believe it will be beneficial to Maya's recovery if Draco is there with her. He is the closest to family that she has. Yes she has Lucius and myself but when it comes down to it, she has always trusted Draco more." Narcissa stated with confidence. "Ah Narcissa I do believe you but do you think it wise to take your dear Draco out of school for this long?"

"Yes Sir I do think it wise. He will not be able to focus while she is away, his grades will be better once they are both able to come back." Narcissa replied.

"Then my dear, as you wish. The three of you will leave tomorrow morning once Maya wakes up." said Dumbledore calmly.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Back in New York things were going great, at least that's what Riley thought. She did think a lot about Maya and how weird it was when she moved away. Often she thought to herself "Is there something nobody's telling me?" then all of a sudden there was a crash at Riley's bedroom window, it remained shut since Maya left. At this point it was 3 in the morning so it really startled her when she saw an owl sitting right next to her closed window. Carefully she reached the lights and turned them on and opened the window and the owl hopped inside. Attached to the animal's leg was a note addressed to _Riley Alayna Matthews_ hesitantly Riley took the note and began reading.

" _Miss Matthews,_

 _I am Professor Dumbledore. I am the HeadMaster at your friend Maya's school,_

 _Things have happened since Maya left New York and I would like to inform you so you're not kept in the dark any longer. As I am informed you have not spoken to Maya since she left. There is a reason behind this, Maya is not in fact Maya Gwen Hart and she was not born and raised in New York city with her single mother Katie. Matter of fact her full name is Mariella Gwendolyn Hart and her mother's full name is Katriayna Veronica Hart and her father's name is Qylin Billuis Hart. Maya is in fact a witch and she was born and lived in the Hart Manor in Wiltshire England until she was 7 years old. She then had to move to New York because it became too dangerous to stay here. She was being hunted by the followers of the worst Wizard of our time, Lord Voldemort. He however was stumped by her and couldn't bring himself to hurt her. But that doesn't mean that his followers felt the same way. Mariella is the most powerful witch of our time and she is now aware of this. She also does not know that I took the time to write this letter to you. A couple of months ago there was an accident with some of Voldemort's followers and they ended up killing her parents. Luckily Mariella was at Hogwarts at this time which is her school, it is the best magical academy for witches and wizards in the world. You only get accepted if you are from England Ireland or Scotland. Since her parents passed away she has tried to take her own life but luckily the person who found her happens to be her longest friend. Draco Malfoy. He is also her neighbor and once her parents passed his mother and father took her in and are now her legal guardians. I do not expect you to believe any of this information but I would like to inform you that she dearly misses being called Peaches. You are welcome to visit her. If you reply with a date to this letter you personally I will come and take you to see her._

 _Thank you for your time Miss Matthews,_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Dumbledore._

 _P.S. Tell Corey and Topanga I wish them well."_

"MOM DAD CAN YOU COME HERE FOR A MINUTE" Riley ended up yelling louder than she thought. "Riley what's wrong?" Corey asked as soon as he walked into the room. "Corey look, the owl. Something happened. Riley tell us what happened" Topanga responded. "Well the owl just showed up and gave me this note. Here look at it. The person who wrote it said he knew you." Riley said quietly. "Yes Riley we know Dumbledore. He wrote us a note the day Maya showed up in your room. We were to keep an eye on her." Corey said. "Why did she not tell me any of this? Was I not important to her?" Riley asked crying. "Honey that's not it at all. They put a spell on her to protect her. She didn't remember who she was when he showed up here. Do you want to visit her? We can if you'd like." Topanga answered. Riley just nodded her head. She was terrified that her best friend tried to take her own life.

The next day Topanga began writing a letter to Narcissa Malfoy.

" _Dear Narcissa,_

 _Im Topanga Matthews. As I am aware Dumbledore informed you that he wrote to us to inform Riley of Mariella's condition. I appreciate you taking care of her and I was writing to ask if it would be okay for us to visit her for a couple of days. We would be able to take the Floo System to your Manor so there would be no hassle for you._

 _Thank you,_

 _Topanga._ "

With that the owl took off and the next morning landed on Narcissa's windowsill. Within a couple of hours Topanga had her response.

" _Topanga,_

 _You are more than welcome to visit her. Please stop by this friday and spend the weekend. I'm afraid that's all the time we can afford to give you right now._

 _Best wishes,_

 _Narcissa Malfoy"_

Tomorrow was friday and the Matthews stepped into the fireplace and traveled to The Malfoy Manor. Within minutes they were greeted by Twinkle the House Elf. "Yes yes hello Matthews. Miss Malfoy has been expecting you. Right this way." Riley had never seen a house so beautiful. When she looked up she saw an intimidating looking woman with half brown half white hair and blue eyes. Standing next to her were two kids that looked about Riley's age that she didn't recognize, she first saw the boy, he was tall and had pale skin with gorgeous blue eyes that looked mysterious. She instantly had a crush on him. Standing next to him was a beautiful girl, she was about 5'3 and had long white hair with pale white skin and piercing silver eyes. Riley was oddly jealous of her. Soon enough she snapped out of the jealousy because she was about to see Maya again!

Narcissa spoke and introduced herself, she then introduced her son Draco, and Riley blushed. Then she looked over to the girl and started at her in confusion. "Hi Riles". Was all the girl could manage. With that Riley was shocked, she looked nothing like Maya and then it hit her. She looked different because of magic. "Peaches i'm so glad you're okay". Riley said and then ran up to hug her, Maya embraced this hug because she didn't get many of those anymore. Draco laughed when Maya almost fell over from the force of Riley's hug, but then to his surprise he nearly fell over when Maya punched his arm. "Peaches you look so different! I never would have thought you could look so different but your eyes they are gorgeous! Oh Peaches why did you do what you did? Why couldn't you talk to me?!" Riley let out all in one breath. "Things have been pretty difficult for me over the past couple of months. I wanted to write but I figured you didn't want to hear from me after I left you so suddenly. Now before I am rude enough to forget even further this right here is Draco. He looks mean and scary until you get to know him, he's actually as sweet as a cupcake." Maya earned herself a soft punch in the arm for that comment. "I'm not as sweet as a cupcake. I never will be don't even try to make me seem nice Mariella." Draco sneered. Riley looked taken back by that comment, how could Peaches be friends with someone who is so rude? "Dray she doesn't understand your lovely banter she's going to think you're actually rude and think i'm crazy for being friends with you." Maya stated. "Sorry Riley, i'm actually only joking, Mariella is my best friend we've known each other since birth. I enjoy pushing her buttons." Draco said while turning to face Riley. She blushed when he looked into her big brown eyes.

The rest of the weekend passed without a problem and Riley and her parents left early sunday morning. Maya was doing much better but she still wasn't allowed to return to Hogwarts and neither was Draco. Later sunday afternoon Maya went into Draco's room and took a pair of his sweatpants because she always claimed "his are more comfortable than mine". He never noticed until he walked down the stairs and saw her laying on the couch in a crop top and his favorite black sweats. She had to roll the band a couple of times to make sure they wouldn't fall down when she moved. "I see you were in my room again, find what you were looking for?". Draco said while rolling his eyes at the poor girl. "Yes actually I did and they look much better on me than they do on you". Maya retorted. "Mari I would agree with you any other time but right now you look like you're about to die. Do you realize how far your hipbones stick out?". Draco asked with concern. "Dray I know i'm thin but it's not that bad really, your hipbones stick out pretty far yourself".

They didn't talk about that for the rest of the day and instead Draco went to the kitchens to grab some food then go outside to eat in the fresh air. after grabbing some toast from Twinkle he proceeded to climb a tree to get away from everything but then slipped and luckily his foot was caught between two branches but he was hanging upside down and couldn't free himself as his wand fell to the ground. "MAYA". Draco screamed and she ran outside to see what was going on. As soon as she saw him she started laughing. "Draco you realize you're not supposed to be upside down correct? How did you get up there?" She sarcastically commented. "Quit asking and just help me get down or for the love of Merlin you won't sleep for a week!" "okay princess ill help you down." Maya said. "Deprimo" she said and then Draco fell to the ground. They both went back inside to find Narcissa standing there waiting for them, she then spoke "You both will be going back to Hogwarts next week, once you arrive Dumbledore would like to speak to both of you." and with that they waited the week until the day they took the Floo System to Dumbledore's office.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Ah Miss Hart, Mr Malfoy I see that you both are back. I would like to say that you will have no work to make up due to the circumstances but Miss Hart you will be having weekly check in's with Professor Snape, not only because he is the head of your house but also because he is your God Father, and your uncle Mr Malfoy. As for you Mr Malfoy I expect that you will do well to keep either myself or Professor Snape updated if things start to decline for either of you. I personally don't want to lose either of you. It is a delightful sight to see the two of you happy and I will take great measure for that to happen. Now if there is nothing you would like to say then you both can be off to bed, it is well past curfew." Dumbledore spoke. With that Draco and Maya were off to bed. Once they made it to the common room they tried to recite the password but while they were gone it had been changed which gave them no other choice but to go to Snape's office and ask for the new one. He wouldn't be happy about it due to it being late at night but he would have to deal with the couple minutes less of sleep.

 ***knocking at Snape's door***

"Enter".

"Professor Snape?" Maya said quietly. "There is no need to call me professor if it is just the three of us my dear. I'm glad you both are back. What is it you need?" Snape asked. "The password has been changed and we didn't want to wake you but we need to go to bed Uncle Sev". Draco said just as quietly. "Ah yes the password is _Parseltongue_ but before you leave I would like a word with you Mariella. Draco you may either wait in the classroom or go back to your dormitory." With that Draco waited in the classroom. "Mariella please know that you can always talk to me, I understand what you are going through and I can't afford to lose you as well. You and Draco are the most important things in my life. I don't say it often but I love you. You're the only God Daughter I will ever have." "I know. I love you too Seve. I really should be going it has been a long day." no later than a minute she was dragging a half asleep Draco by his hand back to the common room.

"Goodnight Dray" and as Maya was turning to walk up the stairs Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tight hug. "Goodnight Maya. If things get bad during the night please come find me" and with that they parted ways. Once Draco walked into his room he put on his dark green sweats and a black t-shirt and fell asleep instantly. Maya on the other hand walked into her room to find the Bloody Baron floating near her bed. "Ah welcome back Maya it has been awfully boring without you. As you know you are under watch. I will be checking up on you periodically but don't worry I will announce my presence before entering. Have a good night." Maya just nodded and once he left she put on Draco's sweatpants and one of his black t-shirts and went to bed.

The next morning was Saturday so the students of Hogwarts didn't have to wear a uniform. Once Maya woke up and brushed her teeth she went down to the common room and spotted draco sitting on the couch. She walked over to him and curled up in a ball on the couch and put her head in his lap. He looked down at her and laughed. "You have a real problem with stealing my clothes" "they are comfy what do you expect? Can we go to breakfast soon?". Within a minute he moved her head off his lap and helped her up. He too was in his pajamas still and they walked down to the Great Hall for a bite to eat. Once they arrived people were shocked to see them because they were gone for around 2 months. People kept staring at them and Maya realized that she wasn't wearing long sleeves and that people could see her scars. Once she realized this she ran the other way leaving Draco standing alone. Half a second later he ran out after her and when he finally caught up he asked what was wrong. "They can see my scars. I forgot about it and didn't wear long sleeves. They are all judging me and think i'm probably mental and will think you're equally as mental for hanging out with me". Maya said not looking at Draco. He hugged her and said "They won't think you're mental Maya, they won't notice. They faded. They really are only noticeable to you because they are on your body. As for them thinking i'm mental. I don't care. I would rather be known as mental than spend a day without you. Now let's go back in and eat some breakfast then we can go anywhere in the castle or grounds you'd like." with that they walked back into the Great Hall and sat down. Like Draco said nobody noticed anything. Almost nobody.

 **What the two of them didn't realize was that Harry was standing a few feet away. Once he entered the hall he sat down next to Ron and Hermione and began talking. Out of nowhere he said "I don't understand how Draco can be okay with all of this. It doesn't make any sense". Hermione and Ron looked confused then asked at the same time "What are you talking about?". "We can't talk here let's go to the lake". Harry said and then the trio got up and went to the lake. "Okay what is this all about?" Hermione asked just as confused as before. "You know how Maya and Malfoy have been gone for two months?" Harry asked. "Yeah what about it?" asked Ron. "Well I found out that it's because Maya tried to kill herself, and Malfoy is perfectly okay with it. He doesn't seem fazed by it at all. Isn't that strange?" it took a moment for all of that to sink in before Hermione spoke. "Harry do you really think he doesn't care about her?" "well he didn't seem to care". Harry stated and then Ron said "Harry have you noticed that if he didn't care about her he wouldn't have left when she was taken home?" Hermione then added "She also was wearing his shirt and sweatpants this morning at breakfast." "Mione how do you know they were his?" Harry asked. "He was wearing the same thing in a different color. When she left school she also went back to his house because something happened at home and she couldn't go there." Hermione said. "Honestly mate he cares more about her than anyone else does and she keeps him from being mean if you haven't noticed." Ron said. With that the conversation was over.**

On Monday the first class they had was Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffindors and the lesson was on Boggarts. Once they were told how to face them they were lined up and the lesson began. They were going to face their biggest fears. First to go was Ron, his boggart turned into a spider and then when he flicked his wand and said _Riddikulus_ the spider had roller skates on and couldn't stand up straight. Next was Neville's boggart turned into Professor Snape and when he said the spell his grandmother's clothes appeared. Next it was Draco's turn, he knew perfectly well what his boggart was going to turn into but he wasn't sure he wanted the whole class to know. But he had no choice. When the boggart came out of the dresser it took a moment but then changed into an image of Draco sitting alone at the manor with a picture of Maya in his hands and on the picture it had two dates, her birthday and the date of her death. His biggest fear was losing her. When he said the spell the boggart wouldn't change, it was like it wanted him to live this fear for the rest of his life. Then all of a sudden Maya stepped in front of him and the boggart changed into her, only her. Maya's biggest fear was herself. She didn't seem fazed by this and when she recited the spell it turned into Draco hanging upside down in the tree in his yard. With that the class was over.

Now that everyone knew what Draco's biggest fear was he was embarrassed but he for some reason didn't care because it showed people how much he was able to care for someone. When Maya and Dray went back to the common room nobody was there so Draco sat on the couch and Maya sat next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "What's wrong" he asked her. "The lesson today, why is your biggest fear losing me?" she wondered. Before he could answer he pulled her onto his lap and hugged her, with her head still on his shoulder. "Because Maya, without you I wouldn't be me. I would be a shell of my father and he's a terrible man, he's better when he's around you because everyone is a better person when they are around you. Youve been my best friend my entire life and when I found you that one night it made me realize that my biggest fear might come true. You make me the best me I could be. I love and appreciate you everyday and if anyone else were to steal my clothes they would be dead. But since you're the one that does it, it makes me happy because you are happy. Without you my world would come crashing down. You're the only person who has seen me cry and you're the only person I let see me cry because I know you don't judge me. You love me for me and if you were to have succeeded that night, I would have done it too. Maya you're the one person I can't lose". Maya didn't need to say anything to that he just kissed his cheek and hugged him and then started crying but didn't care because she was safe with him. She's always been safe with him.

Seeing what Harry saw in DADA today made him realize that Malfoy actually could care for someone. The thought of Malfoy caring made him feel weird, but he didn't do anything to stop it. What he was really curious about was why Maya's biggest fear is herself. She didn't seem like a bad person but then again Harry didn't really know her, all he knew was that she tried to kill herself and that she was friends with his enemy. Either way he was determined to find out why she was scared of herself. He just needed to come up with a plan.

After discussing his ideas to the trio they all decided it would be best if Hermione was the one to ask, seeing as she knew Maya best but also because it would seem natural for her to be worried about anyone with a fear like that. Now Hermione wasn't going to tell Harry and Ron what she was going to say or when this plan would take place and they were pretty livid about that. She decided that she was going to Owl her and ask to meet up in the prefects bathroom because no one goes in there during the day.

" _Hello Maya,_

 _I was wondering if you could meet me in the prefects bathroom around lunch?_

 _I want to talk to you about something._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione"_

During breakfast the post arrived and Maya was surprised to see an owl come down with a note for her. Once she read the note she looked over at the Gryffindor table and nodded at Hermione. Draco asked what was going on but she ignored him and continued to eat her breakfast. The morning lessons passed and nothing productive happened, at least not for her. Everyone was supposed to be transfiguring a quill into a bird and nobody was able to do it but Maya did it effortlessly because she could do magic like that since she was 5 years old. When it was time for lunch she told Draco she would see him in a while and went up to the Prefects bathroom. "Pine fresh" the door opened and inside Hermione was waiting for her. "Hi Hermione, what was it you wanted to talk about?". Maya asked. To that Hermione replied "Well I know we aren't great friends but I saw what your boggart turned into and I was curious as to find out why?". It took a moment for Maya to say anything, "You need to promise me you won't tell anyone this especially Harry and Ron". Hermione made the promise. "The only other people that know this are Dumbledore, Snape, Narcissa Malfoy and Draco. When I started at Hogwarts the sorting hat told me I should be in Gryffindor, my entire family has always been Gryffindors but I wanted to stay with Draco. So I argued with the hat after it said where I would do well because I saw the look on Draco's face, he looked heartbroken and at the time I had only ever seen him look that way once when I moved to The States. So I fought against the hat and told it that I needed to be in Slytherin. The hat then said " _You're going to be a very powerful witch indeed, there is no doubt about that. You will go very far. Stay close to those you trust."_ I then later that day wrote my parents, at the time as you know my father was the Minister of Magic and my mother was an Auror, I expected them to be disappointed in me because I didn't follow in their footsteps. My mother wrote back and told me that it was okay and that I should create my own way. The next day I asked her what the hat meant by I would be a powerful witch. At first I didn't think anything of it but then Draco told me that before the hat would let him leave it said "Stay close to Miss Hart, she will lead you to greatness" my mother then wrote back and told me that I needed to take Draco and talk to Dumbledore and he explained everything. And told me that I needed to choose whether I use my powers for good or evil. Ever since that day I have been scared at what I can do." Maya explained. "Why did you move to The States? As for the other parts i'm really sorry that you've been put through so much". Hermione said. "Well I wasn't sure at the time but Dumbledore explained to me that I had a glamour charm put on me and that my mom had erased my memory of ever being a witch and that's where my nickname Maya comes from. From what I knew at the time I thought I had always lived in New York and that my mom's name was Katie and that I didn't know my father. I never knew magic was a thing until it was time to move back home right before first year started. Dumbledore said this was because death eaters were after my magic because after all, I'm the most powerful witch alive right now but I'm not a fan of that title. Voldemort however tried to collect me before he killed the Potters, but he couldn't bring himself to hurt me or my family and swore to recruit me when the time comes. Now a couple of months ago death eaters filled my house and killed my parents because they wanted me. Voldemort has returned and if he were in human form he wouldn't have let them take my parents lives because he somehow knew it would effect me in a way that could damage my magic. But that didn't stop the death eaters. In a way Voldemort was right, it did negatively affect my magic because I tried to end my life. I'm okay now I just miss my parents. The reason my biggest fear is myself is because I know how dangerous I can be. The only two places i'm safe are Hogwarts and the Malfoy Manor. They wouldn't dare touch me at either of these places. Before you ask, Snape knew all of this because he is my godfather. He's not my legal guardian however that would be Narcissa, but he is also Draco's uncle so that's why he knows. I hope I answered all of your questions and I should be getting back to lunch Draco is probably worried sick." Maya said sweetly. With that all Hermione managed to do was hug her, and to her surprise she hugged her back.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The next day Harry was bombarding Hermione with questions "Well what did she say!? Hermione you can't keep this information from me it could be the key to destroying voldemort once and forall! Why do you care so much? It's not like she likes you she's a bloody Slytherin for merlin's sake!"

"For your information Harry she likes me for me because she's not prejudice, she was supposed to be in Gryffindor but asked to be in Slytherin just like you asked to be in Gryffindor. Now I won't tell you because I promised her I wouldn't only four people know and she told me that's all that can know. Let it go it doesn't concern you." Hermione scolded.

The next lesson they had was Potions and Snape was in a rather crass mood and wasn't up for any of Potter's bullshit. This was because today they had to brew Amortentia the world's strongest love potion. That day Snape deducted at least 50 points from Gryffindor. The students had to pair up, harry was with Ron, Hermione was with Dean Thomas. Draco and Maya were paired together. "Can anyone tell me what Amortentia is? Miss Hart perhaps". "Yes Sir, Amortentia is the world's strongest love potion it smells differently to every person that smells it. Of course it doesn't produce real love but it makes the person you give it to have a strong infatuation with you, the only way it will last is if you keep giving it to them or else it will wear off." Said Maya confidently. "Very good Miss Hart. 100 points for Slytherin. Now each pair of you will be brewing this love potion and if you smell something that attracts you, you have done it right. You have until the end of class.". Snape instructed. With that Draco went to the ingredients cabinet and got the required materials.

Ashwinder eggs

Rose Thorns

Peppermint Oil

Dust of Moonstone

Beautified Water

As soon as he got back to the table Maya started working with the ingredients, her and Draco were both the most skilled with potions in Hogwarts other than Snape due to the fact he was their family and taught them from a young age how to make the most complicated ones that even the most experienced witches and wizards couldn't make. Making Amortentia was effortless for them and they were the first to finish. Meanwhile everyone else was struggling, Seamus and Neville even managed to blow up their potions which costed Gryffindor another 100 points. By the time the class was nearly over Snape started walking around and started grading the potions, he saved the best for last so when he walked up to Draco and Maya he wasn't disappointed. "What do you smell Miss Hart?". Snape asked curiously. "I smell cologne, peppermint toothpaste and lavender mint". She said tentatively. "Mr Malfoy what is it you smell?". Snape asked "I smell roses, Ed Hardy Perfume, and nail varnish" Draco replied. Neither of them realized what they smelled was each other, and nobody else noticed it but Snape who was smiling to himself before saying "Now class this is how you brew a proper love potion, 200 points to Slytherin. Class dismissed".

"Hermione you don't reckon that Draco and Maya like each other do you?". Harry said very casually. "I'm not sure really, I know they are best friends but why are you asking?" "Well whenever Maya walks by me I can smell a faint hint of roses, as if it's her shampoo or something. I was just wondering since you're friends with her that you might know something. They wouldn't be a good couple." Harry confidently said. "I don't know Harry, they are best friends I also don't think either of them are in a place that would allow for a relationship right now but a Hogsmeade trip is coming up soon why don't you ask her if shed like to go with you? If she says yes then we know she doesn't have a thing with Malfoy". Hermione said with a smirk. "You're a genius you know that right?". Harry asked. With that Hermione just smiled, but deep down she thought about everything Maya had told her earlier and she secretly hoped that her and Draco were going to be an item, they work very well with each other.

During their free time the two blondes were sitting out by the lake when Maya looked over to Draco and blurted out "Do you think i'm crazy if I don't want to go to Hogsmeade when the school goes as a trip?" "I think you're crazy for a load of other things but no not this. If you'd like when the trip comes you can stay back and I can go get us some candy and smuggle some Butterbeer in if you'd like." Draco replied laughing. "Thanks Dray I just don't really feel comfortable asking Sevey to sign my permission slip, seeing as I don't exactly have parents anymore." she said without looking at Draco. "You know Maya I don't think it would be a bad thing to ask Uncle Sev to sign the form, I know you two aren't blood related or anything but since he is your godfather he would be okay with signing it. I know he misses talking to you, he writes my mother about it all the time because you keep in touch with her more than anything. You also could ask her to sign it, she would be more than happy but I understand if you just want to hang back here. Just promise me you won't do anything to hurt yourself." "Dray I can't promise you that… i'm sorry..I should go talk to Sevey. I'll see you later okay?" and before he could respond she was off running towards Severus's office.

 ***Knocking at the door***

"Enter". Snape said

Sevey can I talk to you for awhile?" Maya asked really quietly. "Of course Maya, i'll make some tea. Please come up to the office it's more comfortable than the classroom.". He was right, he may act as though he's all mean but his office begs to differ. "One or two sugars?" "Two please" "What is it you wanted to talk about dear?" Snape asked. "Well first I was wondering if you'd be willing to sign my Hogsmeade form? I don't plan on going often but just in case I feel like getting away from the castle it would be nice. Also I was wondering if I had listened to the sorting hat and was placed in Gryffindor would you still take so many points away from them? I also feel like maybe I made a mistake asking to be put into Slytherin, don't get me wrong I love it and all but what if this house is the one that will turn me evil once Voldemort rises again? The hat told me I was going to be very powerful and I know that Voldemort has been interested in me since I was a kid. What if he actually manages to use my powers? What would people think of me? If my parents were still alive do you think they would be disappointed in me? I feel like i've let them down" Maya said not looking up from her tea. "Mariella, of course I will sign the permission slip, I think that it would be a good place for you to go to find who you really are. Yes I would still take points away from them but I would also award them more points because you are a truly amazing witch and student and I thoroughly enjoy having you in my classes, you're incredibly smart and I only take points off from Hermione because she never allows others students to answer the questions at hand. You didn't make a mistake, Mariella if you hadn't been placed in Slytherin you would not be here to have this conversation with me right now, Voldemort can't and won't turn you evil I personally will not let him and neither will Dumbledore nor Narcissa. He will have to get through all of us to get you and the one person who will put up more of a fight than anyone to keep you safe is Draco. You mean so much to him and I wholeheartedly believe that he would do absolutely anything to protect you, including die if it meant saving you. As for being a disappointment to your parents, they would be so proud of you for finding yourself and being nice to every person you meet, you are the kindest person I know and they would and are very proud of you and they loved you more than you will ever know which is a shame but Mariella they died protecting you. The only way you could ever let them down is if you beat yourself up and tear yourself apart. They wanted nothing more than see the person you grow up to be. You are the most beautiful girl they could have asked for and you look so much like them both, and you hold the best of them within yourself you just need to learn to let that part show a little more. I promise everything will be okay." Snape replied and before he knew it Maya was giving him the tightest hug. He then hugged her back and placed a kiss on the top of her head in a fatherly way.

By the time Maya left Snape's office it was nearly time for dinner, but before she went down to the Hall she stopped by the common room to see if Draco was in there because she didn't want to be alone. She walked through the portrait hole and nobody was in the common room so she walked up to the Boys Dormitory and knocked on the door to Draco's room. Nobody answered but she had a feeling he was in there so she went in anyway, she found Draco lying on his bed and before he noticed her she saw that he was crying. Without hesitating she crawled into the bed next to him and put her arms around him and they just laid there. She then looked up at his tear stained face and placed a kiss on his cheek, he looked over at her and started crying even more. "Love whats wrong?" Maya whispered. "I cant...Maya I-i can't protect you if you don't let me.." Draco replied, still crying. "What are you talking about? What are you supposed to protect me from?" Maya asked confused. "Maya what am I supposed to do if you hurt yourself again? I can't protect you from yourself. I want to protect you. I need to protect you don't you understand that?" Said while crying. Maya laid there for a couple of minutes before sitting up and looking off into the distance, she was holding back tears while she answered "Draco…" "Yes Maya?" "I need to tell you what happened that night." maya said still not looking at him. "Maya you told me what happened that night" Draco replied. "No. I didn't tell you all of it. You can't protect me from myself. I can't protect me from myself. I did what I did that night because I didn't want to hurt you or anyone else. I know that i'm powerful, and I know that i'm going to be the reason a lot of people get hurt. I know you care about me but Draco I would rather die right now then put you through whatever is going to happen when he returns. I can't let him hurt you. I did what I did because if I ended it now you would forget about me and he wouldn't come trying to take my powers and make me use them to hurt people. I have no control over that now but what I do have control over is if I were to end everything tonight. There would be no second war, there would be no return of the man who killed my parents. Yes he went after harry but that was out of spite because he couldn't go after me. If I were to end things right now after I left this room nobody but you would notice and I fucking hate to tell you this but after you found me the first time, I was tempted to obliviate your memories of me because I don't want to put you through this. You don't deserve this. You deserve someone who can make you happy and you deserve someone as a best friend who isn't covered in scars, someone who doesn't have problems like I do. Someone who can actually protect you. I love you Draco, I will always love you but I need you to promise me that if I end everything that you won't blame yourself. I need you to also promise me that if I don't end it, and Voldemort uses me that you won't try to be brave. That you will remember me for who I was and forget about all the pain I have put people through. If he uses me I need you forget about me he can't know how much you mean to me or else he will use you to hurt me." holding back the tears was no use, at this point she was bawling her eyes out. The only thing Draco was able to muster up the courage to say was "I can't live without you". It was at this point that Maya started having a panic attack and fell to the floor shaking and hyperventilating, she was crying while trying to gasp for air but it was no use. Draco jumped out of his bed and ran to her, he held onto her to stop her from shaking and he tried his best to calm her down. She turned around and buried her face into his chest and was still having a hard time breathing, her shaking was causing him to shake and he tried his hardest to keep her still. Instead of sitting on the floor and before the other Slytherins came into the dorm Draco picked her up and carried her to her room, where they both sat on her bed and finally she stopped shaking. She was about to fall asleep but before she did she muttered in a barely audible voice managed to say "Please don't leave me" and before he could answer she was asleep in his arms. Maya was still wearing her uniform when she fell asleep so Draco put her down on the bed, went over to one of the drawers and pulled out the clothes she had stolen from him, he then managed to take off the uniform and slip her into the sweats and shirt before crawling into bed with her. It was going to be a long night.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next morning Draco sent an owl to the headmaster.

" _Good morning Professor Dumbledore,_

 _Last night Mariella had a panic attack that lasted a couple of hours._

 _She ended up falling asleep but it wasn't good. I was writing to let_

 _You know that neither Mariella nor I will be attending lessons today._

 _If anything else happens I will talk to Professor Snape._

 _Thank you,_

 _Draco Malfoy"_

The owl took the letter immediately to Dumbledore. It took 2 minutes for him to read it, once Dumbledore took the letter off of the owl's leg he opened it and just nodded. He knew that Mariella was having a rough time, so he let it slide and let the professors know that they would be missing the two Slytherins from their lessons today.

When Mariella woke up she thought she was alone, but to her surprise she rolled over to find Draco sitting by her side . "Good morning Maya, how are you feeling?". Draco asked. "What happened last night Dray?" "Well, last night you had a panic attack. You started hyperventilating and I was holding you until you stopped shaking, but once you were stable I brought you to your room and you asked me not to leave. So I didn't". Draco said. "How did I get into your pyjamas?" Maya asked confused. "Oh well I uh, I couldn't let you sleep in your uniform… I'm sorry". Draco said sheepishly. With that maya felt completely insecure, she hated the way her body looked and she was even more embarrassed about how Draco saw what she looked like underneath the clothes. "Draco please tell me you didn't….see anything…". Maya asked not looking up. "Dont worry. I didn't. I just wanted you to be comfortable." and with that said, that particular part of the conversation was dropped.

Within the next couple of minutes the pair decided to go down to the kitchens for food. They opened the door to the house elves surprise, not many people go into the kitchens that aren't in Hufflepuff. Once the pair of blondes walked in, Maya asked politely for some breakfast and the Elves happily obliged. Draco and Maya ate in peace and then they went for a walk around the lake, during that time they were talking about anything and everything all at once. "Dray what made you stay with me last night?" Maya asked quietly. "You asked me to stay… before you fell asleep you told me to stay so I did. I couldn't leave you". Draco replied. To Maya's surprise that was the only explanation he gave on the topic, she didn't want to push him too far because she didn't want to lose the only friend she has.

During the time Maya and Draco were walking around the lake, Draco's mind kept going back to when he put Maya into pyjamas, this was the first time he noticed how thin she really was. At this point she had to barely be 80 pounds, every one of her ribs were sticking out and you could clearly see her collar bones and hip bones, if he really wanted to her could fit his hands around her thighs that's how thin she had gotten. He knew that she wouldn't be able to face this problem on her own and he knew that if he told her she would stop talking to him. That's when he decided to come up with a plan.

It was two days before the Hogsmeade trip and it was time to put his plan into action. Before breakfast one morning he stopped none other than Hermione Granger and pulled her aside. "This is going to be really awkward because I know you dont like me much, but I was wondering if you would go to Hogsmeade with me. Not as a date or anything but I need to someone to talk to about Maya. and I know that she trusts you." Draco said in a quiet voice. He was expecting Hermione to say no but to his surprise she said "I would be happy to go with you, to talk about Maya. I know how much you care about her." they walked into the great hall separately in order to not cause a scene, and then it was time to wait.

"Hermione I don't see why you are going with Malfoy, he is bloody awful he is." Harry stated in a rude way. "Yeah Hermione why do you want to go with him? He's the biggest git in this school!" Ron eagerly said. "Would you two kindly shut up. I have my reasons and I swear to Merlin, Harry that if you follow us with that stupid cloak of yours I will destroy it myself. Am I clear?" Hermione sternly said. "Yes" Is all the boys could manage. When the time came, Hermione met Draco at the doors to the castle and together they went.

"Hermione, she can't be more than 80 pounds. It's really scaring me. I can't talk to a teacher about it because then she will think I don't trust her. I can't lose her. I really don't know what to do…. She's all I have." Draco explained. "Try talking to her about it. She can't be that stubborn can she? I think she really just needs to see how much you care about her." Hermione replied.

Meanwhile back at the castle, Maya was all alone. When suddenly she heard knocking at her door, she didn't want to open it because she knew nobody else was at the castle except for a few teachers, including Snape and Dumbledore. After 3 minutes of her sitting quietly under her bed, the door flew open and all she could see was a long black cape moving swiftly around her room until it suddenly stopped right in front of her bed. "Ah why Mariella there is no need to hide come out now, we are together at last. After so many years it is my pleasure to finally meet you." a cold voice said. Maya didn't dare to move but there was no use, she felt a force pulling her from her hiding spot. Once she was out from under the bed she was forced to look up and she was staring at no other than Voldemort. He had finally come to collect her.


End file.
